Joy

This past week I was working on the worship order for Sunday on the same day the torture report came out.  If you haven’t heard this is the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the use of torture by the CIA after 9/11.  We as a nation did terrible things, at least one of which resulted in the death of a man who we detained by mistake.   This is, of itself, unspeakably awful, but the real kicker is that the report concludes that none of these “extreme interrogation tactics” actually worked in getting good intelligence and making things safer from terrorists.

Did I mention that the theme for Sunday was joy?  How on earth do we talk about joy when this is going on?  Not to mention the anger still resounding in many after the grand jury decisions in Ferguson & Staten Island.  I’ll admit I spent time feeling completely overwhelmed and lost.  I cannot undo what has been done.  I cannot shape national policy.  I cannot change our legal system or call people accountable because of my experiences of racism. 

I am not one to sit for very long in the things I cannot do or be.  So on that next day I decided to bring as much joy into the world as I could. I bought a gift card for a guy who is struggling without a coat in cold weather.  I made a purchase from a local artist who needs some extra funds this season.  I wrote a note to a friend who is such a great mom, and needs some encouragement during a difficult developmental stage.  I made a donation to an organization that empowers people on the margins to speak truth to power.  I called friends and wished them good cheer.  I made a hearty dinner for my family.  It’s not much, it didn’t change the world, but it brought joy into the lives that I can reach.

“I can’t change the brokenness of the world, but I can make a difference by doing something beautiful for God here and now.  In small ways I’m proclaiming the good news of a God who came as a vulnerable baby to a poor family in a dirty place in a messy, broken culture.  God is with us in the darkness, as we cling to the joy and light we can share.  And that is what gives me joy, being able to brighten things at least a little for someone else. It’s an act of holy love, which really is the reason for the season.”

-Eilidh